Photography by Joanna Gleason
Article by Jean Senat Fleury
July 5-7 it was Levitate festival. The New England summer event at the Marshfield Fairgrounds welcomed this year around twenty thousands of visitors for the three-day event. In its 11th year, the fest has grown into a huge celebration of community to become one of the most anticipated and popular summer events in Massachusetts. During 3 days families and friends were relaxing and enjoying great food, art & crafts sales, and more.
Run by Dan and Jess Hassett of Levitate Surf and Skate Shop, the festival has changed over the years. Beginning as a “backyard barbecue kind of thing”, Marshfield’s grassroots Levitate Music and Arts Festival has quietly evolved into a huge music event offering fun activities for the joy of the attendees. You can see muralist in action, browse art vendors, artisan crafts and more. Some 30 food trucks offered a spread from barbecue to smoothies, lobster rolls, ice cream. Three stages of music have created a crazy atmosphere of dancing, jumping, laughing, drinking, and eating. At Levitate Music and Arts Festival, people come together to experience the joy of personal connection through music and the arts.
“When we started Levitate, we wanted to celebrate this community through the uplifting power of creativity – it’s been incredible to see what has grown out of these local roots and we’re so excited to see this year’s event come to life”, noted Daniel Hassett in a statement sharing with the 2024 lineup announcement.
The festival featured an impressive lineup of about 30 artists some of them from New England, others from different places in the U. S.
Leading the lineup were a mix of rock, reggae, funk, indie, country, and soul acts including Sublime (featuring Jakob Nowell, son of the founding singer Bradley Nowell), Boston-formed band Lake Street Dive, Mt. Joy, Dirty Heads, Charley Crockett, Olivier Anthony, Cory Wong, Iration, The Eloveters, and Goose offshoot Orebolo. Orebolo is an acoustic trio featuring three members of Goose: Rick Mitarotonda (vocals, guitar), Peter Anspach (vocals, guitar), and Jeff Arevalo (upright bass).
Other artists performed at Levitate 2024 include Mihali, Ziggy Alberts, G. Love & Special Sauce, Daniel Donato’s Cosmic County, Neal Francis, Richy Mitch & The Coal Miners, The Hip Abduction, Little Stranger, The Moss, Joe Samba, Grace Bowers, Jon Muo, Lee Ross, Karina Rykman, and Tash Sultana. The Australian singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer is essentially a one-person band. From guitar to trumpet to live-looping and beatboxing, Sultana was one of the talented artists performing on July 6 at 7:00 p.m.
DAY ONE
FRIDAY, JULY 5TH
Foundation Winner
Jon Muq
Grace Bowers
Lee Ross
The Moss
Neal Francis
Stolen Gun
Dirty Heads
Orebolo
Mt. Joy
The Moss
Orebolo
Neal Francis
Mt. Joy
Dirty Heads
DAY TWO
SATURDAY, JULY 6
Snacktime
G. Love & Special Sauce
The Abduction
Mark King Band
Cory Wong
Iration
Joe Samba
The Eloveters
Tash Sultana
Lake Street Dive
Cory Wong
The Eloveters
Lake Street Dive
Tash Sultana
DAY THREE
SUNDAY, JULY 7TH
Little Stranger
Richy Mitch & The Cool Miners
Oliver Anthony
Sublime
Daniel Donato's Cosmic Country
Ziggy Alberts
Charley Crockett
Foundation Winner
The Rins
Karina Rykman
Oliver Anthony
Ziggy Alberts
Charlie Crockett
Sublime
CONCLUSION
Although the heat with a temperature up to 90 degrees Fahrenheit, Levitate Music and Arts Festival was perfectly great for thousands and thousands of visitors who attended the event. The three-day event at the Marshfield Fairgrounds was phenomenal. Once again, Levitate has established its reputation for being one of the best festivals in New England offering good food, good vibes, and great live music.
Amazing photos!